Commissioner of Police, Anthony Anderson, stated that his ability to stay calm and laser focus are two essential qualities he draws from as he carries out his daily task in the JCF. It has been rumored that Commissioner Anderson will be promoted to Minister of National Security when the PM reshuffles the Cabinet.
He was appointed to his current job in March 2018. He said that as a leader, he often had to step up and create certainty where there was uncertainty. Commissioner Anderson had also served as the headman of the Jamaica Defense Force. He told the Star that a critical part of handling his portfolio is his ability to clear the noise, focus on what is essential, and react appropriately.
“When people’s emotions are up, you have to be steady. You have to calm people down. You have to draw a low gear, climb the hill, and make sure everything goes as it should under the most difficult of circumstances,” Anderson said.
Anthony Anderson
Last year Jamaica recorded 1,498 murders, which is a two percent increase compared to the 1,474 committed in 2021. Last January, the leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, called on Anderson to resign if he didn’t get crime under control within 60 days. Jamaica had recorded over 100 homicides in 23 days at that particular juncture.
“If the commissioner cannot find another strategic approach to getting the crime problem under control within the next 60 days, I think he must call it a day as well, and allow someone else to take up the mantle,” Golding said during a press conference.
Mark Golding
On Tuesday, January 3, 2023, Anderson and fellow cops gathered on the lawn of the police commissioner’s office in St Andrew for the annual devotional exercise. He reassured them that 2023 would be a good year for policing in Jamaica. He urged the lawmen and women under his command to adopt a similarly upbeat approach.
“At the beginning of the year, at the change from one year into the other, as fireworks go up, we have this sense of optimism about what the new year can bring. It is important that we hold this sense of optimism as we go through the year, because quite often as the fireworks die the optimism dies with it. So I suggest to you this morning that that is actually a choice that we make,” Anderson said.
Anthony Anderson
Commissioner Anderson is adamant that the Jamaica Constabulary Force is in a good place and getting better. He he encouraged his officers to continue to work hard.